mike tatt

Hi I originally had the AXA Blueline 50 installed on the original fork which had the same screw(hole) config as yours. The bracket fastens on easily - it just rests on the top of the fork with the 'down bracket' hooking over the back to be attached using a short bolt (Can't remember the 'M' dimension) and a spring washer. I had to adjust and lower the top arm of the bracket to give a bit of clearance - but it's got key bolts on all the joints to do this. - Easy job. You can see the bracket clearly on this ebay example https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/AXA-LED-Front-Light-blueline-50-E-bike-BULK-8712864351014/2118446674?iid=272306778476&_trksid=p2047675.m4097.l9055 Fitting the cable was straightforwards - just poked it through the brake cable hole at the top of the downtube and fed it down. There's loads of space if I remember rightly - and there's not a lot to snag on. There's a rubber grommet around the hole - the process is much easier if you pop this out first - then re-fit. Rear wires - fed through of a gap at the rear of the motor housing and then zip tied up the seatpost to the rear triangle. There's no way to route this internally. I ended up making a handle bar bracket for the front when I changed forks - the new ones have no screw hole at all Initially I commuted on the bike as well as off road - and the light was great for the roads and canal banks I was traveling on. I tried it off road - and it scared the pants off me - just not enough illumination for fast single track at night - not fun at all. Now I'm working from home - and close to the wilds (very lucky location for MTB) - so the only road I use is a 500m country lane so I've dropped the light completely and am looking around for some higher power replacements. I've kept all the cabling intact though - hopefully I'll be able to power the new light without having an additional battery pack or recharging to faff with. Hope this helps Cheers Mike

ALSO Thought I'd mention the Yamaha motor 1. When you hit 25kph - there is no motor drag - you are pushing the bike - not the motor as well 2. Cadence - you need to practice getting your gearing and cadence right- especially on steep uphills which vary in gradient - the motor seems to run out of puff when you are peddling like a demon - so I usually aim for a higher gear than I normally would on an analogue bike and pedal a bit slower - It took me a few rides to fully understand what was going on - but now it's effortless. 3. TOO MUCH POWER - amazing but true - in some circumstances - like a standing start uphill in the mud or over uphill rocks. You need to knock the power down - or the back wheel can really push forwards and cause the front to raise up. Once you get going - tap the power up again if you need to. 4. Noise - it's noisier than the Shimano - but no more than the Bosch - and can whine a bit when pushed. TBH - no one else will hear it - and I mostly don't notice it - unless I film my nonsense on my gopro - and hear it on the playback. 5. Instant - push and go - as soon as you pedal - the power kicks in - great when you need control of when you are laying the power down. I've read some comments about it feeling nervy and wanting to push when you are stopped eg at a road junction) - but this has never been an issue for me - wouldn't even have thought of it unless I had read about it I've tried a few bikes from other riders that I know I Prefer the power output of the Yamaha to the Bosch - Instant on I prefer the ability to pedal at a faster cadence that the Bosch gives - although I've adjusted by riding style a bit - so rarely notice. Over 25kph on the flat - Bosch - I didn't like it - - Yamaha - great The Shimano - feels more natural than both the Bosch and Shimano - nice gradual power - but isn't as forceful - didn't get this one to play with on the flat or over 25kph Cheers Mike

I've covered about 1500km - mainly off road - I live close to the fun stuff (500 metres) so hardly have to ride on roads. No breakdowns or serious failures in two years - I keep the chain and running gear clean and lubed - New brake pads once - and keep the brakes bled and tight. The rest is usually covered with mud Quick clean and service (nut and bolt check / brakes etc) every few weeks. I did make some changes to the basic model Replacements / upgrades 1. Tyres - shredded the original Shwalbe in couple of months - replaced them with Specialized Grid's - one butcher (rear) - one ground control (front) I need a new set now for winter - but they have lasted well and the firmer side walls helps with the extra weight of the bike - might replace with same or try something different - maybe something more aggressive. 2. Forks - as I got more experienced & confident - and started hitting harsher ground - I found the original Suntour forks struggled - so managed to pick some Reba's up for cheap (brand new for £100 ! ! ! !) . Not full on hardcore forks - but they fitted my (tight) budget - and are a huge improvement. 3. Suntour Suspension seat post - I damaged my lower spins some years ago - and have bouts of lower back pain if I don't take care Early days riding the bike - I ended up suffering after a moderate or longer ride. A full sus is out of my price range so I tried a sus seatpost - amazingly - it's very very good. I think my technique has improved as well - so bound to help some - but thumbs up TBH - I hated the colour scheme - but I bought the bike at a serious discount and was going to respray it - however a friend had had some spare black vinyl - the sort you can use for covering cars. I now have a black bike - probably adds 500gm to the weight of the bike - but who cares - it's an e-bike - and it looks (in my mind) a lot better - It also helps with scratches and bumps - usual stuff - down to me 'testing my limits' or being an overgrown child. - the vinyl takes the hit - not the original paintwork. Overall - I love the bike - like anything else - there is always a better - more expensive option - but seriously good for the money. If I were to upgrade - I'd definitely consider another Giant - although I've been looking at the focus Jam - and Merida bikes - hmmmm

Great bike - I have a Giant Dirt E+1 - it's a great ride - and so much fun - and still going strong. Have made a few upgrades - but a good all round eMTB to start with - and the '2' - better spec- better colour scheme !! and good value - good choice

Hi Chris Only suggestion would be to check the output with a meter - don't have one here at the moment to see what output I'm getting - will check at weekend.

Is the connector & wire on you bike the same as in Setcion / Pic 6 in the PDF link Mine is Grey & white also - the red / black I mentioned is on the connector that I added (SM 2.5 2 PIN JST) - mine came with male plug at one end - and female socket a the other end - I just lopped off the make plug to create the tails to wire the lights to - the female plug just connects to the grey/ white wired connector on the bike. To test / use you just need to press the light button on the handlebar controller - the light isn't continuous - and needs the button press

Revisiting what I did (it's been a while) - look like mine is the same - maybe could have made the instructions easier to follow for this. I just soldered an extra wire on - so two red wires soldered to the single red cable on the connector - and two blacks to the single black cable on the connector- Basically 'Y' splitting the cable So It must also be pumping the same voltage to front and back Hope this helps

Hi Chris Can't find the tech spec for the bike - but seem to remember that the front can power 12v okay with 6v at the rear. I have an AXA Blueline on the front - rated at 6v and a Busch & Müller rear - rated for 5-15 volts. They work great and are fine for road / canal bank use - did the mod for my commute to work - working from home now so don't use them much now ! ! ! I spend over 90% of my night time riding off road so use a clip on Chinese Cree lamp - which I'm going to wire up properly and test when I get some spare time. Cheers Mike

Looks like Giant have changed the connectors on later models. I bought a ready made up connector - combination of the Farnell Parts you mentioned - as I thought that was correct. I was following a huge thread on a German emtb site which went into great detail - but was focussed on Haibike Yamaha powered bikes. - I presumed that the Giant (being Yamaha driven) would be the same - so I sourced one - - alas - no - the connectors were different. Also no connector anywhere the top tube.. I wish ! ! Moral of the story - basically check the wiring config before buying any parts Thanks for the update - Cheers Mike

That sounds dead boring to me !

No worries Robin, I'm just glad it's of use. I agree that it would be great if Giant - and other manufacturers would supply decent service manuals / information - but I suppose that the franchised sellers might not be too happy about it !

A PDF Version of this guide including images can be found at this link - view online or download. https://tinyurl.com/y8s386fb

Hi Robin I've created a PDF version to download - edited slightly - all images intact https://tinyurl.com/y8s386fb Cheers Mike

What a pain in the bum I'll put together a fresh file - probably a PDF and add a link - then I'll see if I can find an alternative to photobucket and update the page - or add a fresh post to replace Cheers Mike

Seems like the thread has go a bit away from the OP's intention - but certainly lots of interesting points about the related technology, physiology etc. [mention=17271]IronLung[/mention] If you are anywhere near the E. Lancashire / West Yorkshire border - I'll be happy to let you have a go on my e-MTB so see if it does the trick. It's a Giant with Yamaha motor - goes up just about anything I've tried - on or off road - It would at least give you some idea if what you want is achievable. Before anyone chips in - I'm not saying that it's better or worse than any other hill climber - it's just an offer to actually try one out. PM me if you are close mate. Cheers Mike